Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2011 > March > 02 > Entry
Texas Medal of the Arts Awards at the Long Center
Pretty darn near flawless. That’s the only way to rate the Texas Medal of the Arts Awards ceremony at the Long Center on Tuesday.
Joanne and Jack Crosby
The Texas Cultural Trust, which advocates for the arts statewide, had struggled in the past to pull off such grand affairs. The laureates were always meritorious. The stage management was usually insufficient.
Speaker of the Texas House Joe Straus and Roger Plank
Not this year. More than 1,000 guests ascended the festooned stairs of the Long Center to gather in a spacious tent erected in the center’s plaza. Now I always thought this could not be done on the plaza for load-bearing structural reasons, but lo and behold … it all worked.
Cynthia Green, Damian Green and Brittni Gola
The dinner passed pleasantly without distracting speeches. I sat with members of the Alley Theatre board of directors, who reminded me of the agile sophistication of Houston’s corporate and nonprofit elite. The Alley is gutting its downtown home to build a theater that will more closely fit the ambitions of its artistic team.
Brad and Courtney Elliott
The Alley, by the way, was among the honorees this chilly, starlit evening. Inside, the ceremony began on time and moved with the crispness and acuity of a network newscast. Part of the credit goes to emcee and CBS New correspondent Scott Pelley, a Texas native.
Pat and Bob Schieffer
The videos introducing the winners were brief, informative, classy. The acceptance speeches fit into that mode. Among the most moving were those of Robert M. Edsel, who has documented the Monument Men team that rescued European art at the end of World War II, and visual artist James Drake, who dedicated his award to those working across the state in relative obscurity.
Not surprisingly, TV journalist Bob Schieffer gave the most polished speech, including a joke about his long marriage at his own expense: “Behind every successful man is … a surprised woman.”
Ashley Schaefer and Alexandra Vara
Song breaks were concise and soulful. Much praise was given H-E-B and other arts donors. Legislators in the house were gently admonished to secure at least some state funding for the arts. One interesting trend: The Burnt Orange connection that united Marcia Gay Harden, Barbara Smith Conrad, Tom Staley, Sarah and Ernest Butler and other worthies.
One special moment: A representative of the Briscoe Center for American Studies ushered me backstage to meet opera great Conrad, who emerged from pre-performance vocalizing to kindly greet a surprised fan who usually avoids dressing rooms.
Barbara Smith Conrad
So much fun were the dinner and show, scores stayed for the after party on the plaza. That’s a big vote of confidence in the Texas Cultural Trust and its growing credibility.
For a full list of awardees with short bios, link here.
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